Outer West Passage

My schedule, the RICKA schedule and the weather were finally in alignment. I could go on a paddle. Better yet, it was one of my favorite paddles - the Outer West Passage!!
All was not perfect; my shoulder had been acting up and my anxiety about the mystery heart condition that only my brain can detect was running amuck.
But it was Outer West Passage and I was not about to let my craziness get the best of me. Besides, paddling is the best cure for my bouts of crazy.
The paddle turned out to be a real old school trip and just what I needed. BH, now of the Great Lakes, made a surprise appearance and he brought along CC who has been busy building her business. TG was also freshly back from his BCU Five Star certification on the shores of Great Britain. We floated a fleet of over ten kayaks.
Anyone looking for exciting conditions was going to be disappointed. The water was calm. The wind was low. The temperature was moderate. It was perfect for a relaxing recharge paddle. The excitement could wait for another day.
I appreciated the fact that paddling is like bicycling. A few strokes and the gap between paddles melted away. My turns were not quite as smooth, I had to think a little about linking strokes together, and I got a tired a little faster. By the time we had crossed to Dutch Island I felt comfortable, by the time we reached Beavertail I was linking strokes and daring to get close to the rocks, on the ride along the Narragansett coast I was back to playing in the rocks.
My shoulder pains melted away after the first two strokes. My mystery heart disease resolved itself around the same time. The rapid recharging power of a kayaking trip boggles my mind. I am not sure how it works or why it works. I just know that it works. A few hours on the water wiped away weeks of stress and left my tank full for returning to the real world.